Net holiday shopping keeps growing

Online shoppers spent more than $500 million between Nov.
22 and Nov. 28, nearly doubling the amount spent online the previous week, according to a report released today by Goldman Sachs and PC Data Online.

Software, toys, music and books were among the best-selling items during the week, according to the survey, which pointed to an overall jump in sales for all categories.

"It appears that a significantly larger and more diverse set of consumers is taking advantage of the expanded offerings this year," PC Data Online
analyst Cameron Meierhoefer said in a statement.

Many analysts and online merchants predicted online sales during
Thanksgiving week would be a meter of what's to come for the next few weeks. Statistics appear to support earlier projections that this holiday season will bring online retailers a windfall.

The report said that many shoppers had yet to begin their holiday shopping,
reporting that 40 percent of respondents said they plan to buy gifts after
the Thanksgiving weekend.

"If similar buying patterns exist on the Internet during this holiday
season, then more than 70 percent of spending is yet to come," Meierhoefer
said.

From Nov. 15 to Nov. 21, Internet users shopping from their home computers spent about $274 million, according to a report issued previously.

The report is part of a weekly study performed by Reston, Va.-based PC Data Online.
The firm surveyed 3,084 Internet users about their online buying habits.